Pune, April 24: PUNE MP Suresh Kalmadi said that the proposed international airport at Chakan, off the Pune-Nashik highway, would take some time to take off, considering additional land acquisition for a second runway and other facilities.

He, however, gave assurance that the issue of increase in watch hours (time when civil flights are allowed to operate) at the Lohegaon civil enclave would be sorted out in the next two to three months. ‘‘I have already spoken to the civil aviation minister, Air Force authorities and others concerned. We are also meeting sometime next week to discuss this issue,’’ he said.

About Chakan, he said, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s (DGCA) new rules make two runways mandatory for a new airport project. Not only does additional land needs to be acquired, but it also must be kept in mind that the second runway’s position does not come in the way of the air funnel of the nearby Lohegaon air base and the Mumbai airport. ‘‘A DGCA team visited the site recently and has sent its report,’’ he said, adding that once all details are finalised, clearance of the proposed international airport as a greenfield project would not be a problem. ‘‘We have the systems in place, considering that Hyderabad and Bangalore airports are to come up in the same manner,’’ Kalmadi said.